ABSTRACT
The human hookworm Necator americanus was maintained through one hundred generations in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). The parasite strain employed here was ultimately adapted to hamsters without the requirement for exogenous steroids or other immunosuppressive agents. Moreover, there was no requirement to use neonatal hamsters--successful infections were obtained in 9- to 10-week-old hamsters infected subcutaneously with 250 hookworm larvae. This unique adaptation of N. americanus to hamsters permits its use for purposes of anthelminthic drug and vaccine development.
Subject(s)
Disease Models, Animal , Mesocricetus/parasitology , Necator americanus/physiology , Necatoriasis/parasitology , Animals , Cricetinae , Feces/parasitology , Female , Fertility , Male , Necator americanus/growth & development , Parasite Egg Count , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Through 100 passages, the human hookworm Necator americanus was adapted to the golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, without either the requirement for exogenous steroids or other immunosuppressive agents, nor the requirement to infect hamsters as pups. Adult N. americanus recovered from infected hamsters were morphologically similar to those from infected humans in Sichuan Province, China, although they were smaller and the females produced fewer eggs. The natural history and kinetics of N. americanus infection was different in female and male hamsters. Female hamsters supported low intensity infections that lasted for approximately two months. In contrast, the peak intensity of infection in male hamsters was high, but this situation lasted less than for 4 weeks at which time many of the hookworms were expelled. However, even after the major parasite expulsion, the total number of hookworms consistently remained higher in chronically infected male hamsters compared with female hamsters. The hamster model of N. americanus is potentially useful for studying the development of new anthelminthic drugs and vaccines.